Former great Chipper Jones talks Dawgs, his future with Braves
Chipper Jones laughed, that yes, he is a self-proclaimed Florida fan, but the former third baseman for the Atlanta Braves said he wishes Georgia nothing but success when the Bulldogs open their season next week against Georgia Southern.
Jones was the guest speaker during Thursday night’s preseason baseball banquet at the Classic Center in downtown Athens where he spoke to a full house of Bulldogs supporters.
“All I know is to get to come and interact with the kids who are playing baseball at Georgia this year and I wish them the best and wish them the best of luck in the SEC this year,” Jones said. “I’ll be pulling for them. A lot of people think I’m a Gator, which I am, so I’m kind of in the enemy’s back yard, but when I’m in Atlanta I’m a fan of the teams here. I’m a Falcons fan, I’m a Hawks fan, I’m Georgia Tech fan and I’m a Georgia fan. I want to see everyone do well, everybody compete and play well. That’s how I kind of look at it.”
Jones’ message to players was a simple one.
“Everybody knows how tough it is to be a professional athlete, they’re obviously scholar athletes and getting a great education here at the University of Georgia and it’s important that they see that through and have something to fall back on in case baseball doesn’t pan out,” Jones said. “But we’re here to celebrate the 2016 Georgia baseball season and hopefully get them off to a great start this year.”
Although Jones has been retired now for three years, baseball is still very much a part of his life.
Jones revealed that he closed on a new house in the Atlanta area Thursday, and next month heads to spring training with the Braves as special assistant to baseball operations, a job that will offer him the opportunity to work hands on with young players, offering hitting advice and whatever else manager Fredi Gonzalez may have in mind.
“Very excited. I’m not taking this lightly. I really want to light a fire under some people and this gives me the platform to be able to make my voice heard, make my opinions heard,” Jones said. “Obviously, I’m low man on the totem pole, but I think with having a repartee with some of the guys who are still there could go a long way and hopefully I bring some instant credibility when I come into the clubhouse.”
Jones laughed that he won’t be shy when it comes to offering his opinion.
“Most people who know me know that my ability to break down film and be able to illustrate things to visual learners is probably my strong suit,” he said. “I could never feel what I was doing wrong with my mechanics, I had to actually see it on film and fix it. I think a lot of guys are like that, but also, just being able to talk the mental aspect of hitting, maybe setting up pitchers here and there, some of the things that I learned over the course of the years might go a long way in some of these kids’ eyes.”
But for those who think Jones is using this opportunity as a way into the manager’s chair somewhere down the road, think again.
The future Hall-of-Famer made it perfectly clear he has no interest in doing that.
“As far as the future, this could certainly lead to more if indeed I like it and want to continue. I’m not there yet though I certainly don’t want to be in uniform anymore every day, living out of a suitcase and going on to a different city every three or four days,” Jones said. “That’s one of the big reasons I retired because I was sick of the lifestyle and I wanted to stay right here in Atlanta. I would not rule out something in the front office because obviously I don’t have to travel with the ball club every day doing that. That would be something that would be more appealing to me in the future than say get back in uniform.”
